code.mp

What It Is

codemp is a real-time collaborative code editing plugin ecosystem developed by hexed.technology. Its goal is to make remote software development feel as natural as collaborative document editing. It emphasizes “no compromise on the editor”: team members do not need to standardize on the same IDE, as long as they install a compatible plugin to collaborate in the same workspace and buffer. Note that it is not a version control system; after a real-time collaboration session ends, code still needs to be committed to a VCS such as Git.

Core Capabilities and Technical Approach

Based on the available materials, codemp focuses on real-time text synchronization, cursor events, workspace management, and cross-editor integration. Its core library is written in Rust and reused by plugins in different languages through FFI. The site shows API examples for Rust, JavaScript, Java, Python, and Lua, covering server connections, workspace creation, file buffer creation, sending text changes, and listening for cursor events. For synchronization, codemp uses CRDT and notes that it has switched to diamond-types, improving performance from around 2,000 operations per second to roughly 8 million operations per second. On the networking side, it uses a centralized server and gRPC to reduce client-side resource requirements while handling NAT, IP exposure, and large-scale session issues.

Open Source, Pricing, and Deployment

codemp states that its main library and all editor plugins are open sourced under the GPL, while the main server is hexed.technology’s primary product. Free accounts are currently available, and users can join invited workspaces. The FAQ also says it will become a paid service in the future, but pricing, plans, and usage limits have not yet been announced. For self-hosting, the main text only says that api.code.mp is managed by hexed.technology and mentions that enterprise deployments may be offered in the future, so self-hosting cannot be confirmed at this stage.

Pros, Cons, and Ideal Users

Its strengths are a multi-editor collaboration-oriented architecture, relatively transparent technical explanations, and ample API examples. It is suitable for remote pair programming, teaching, competitions, or teams that need collaboration across different IDEs. The downsides are that the product still appears to be close to beta, while enterprise features such as fine-grained access control and fully remote development remain on the roadmap. Pricing and production-grade SLA details are unclear, and the terms of service also state that the service is not guaranteed to be uninterrupted or error-free.

Access from China and Alternatives

The main materials do not provide information on availability in mainland China, node coverage, or payment support, so this remains unknown. Teams that need more mature alternatives may compare it with Visual Studio Live Share, JetBrains Code With Me, CodeTogether, GitHub Codespaces, and similar products.